Many other similes are cited in [Medicine King Bodhisattva] chapter, including “a ferryboat to cross over a river.” The meaning of this simile is that the pre-Lotus sūtras are like a raft or a light boat for crossing over the ocean of life and death. It is not easy to cross over an ocean aboard a raft or a small boat from this shore of life and death to the other shore of enlightenment. It is impossible to reach the shore of the Pure Land of Utmost Bliss. For instance, a light boat may be able to start from Chikushi Province (Fukuoka Prefecture) and arrive at Kamakura or Enoshima in the Kanto District, but not to reach T’ang China. A large ship from China can travel from Japan to China without trouble. This chapter also compares having faith in the Lotus Sūtra to a person of poverty finding treasure. The pre-Lotus sūtras are like lands of poverty and those who believe in them are likened to hungry souls. The Lotus Sūtra, on the contrary, is like a mountain of treasures and those who have faith in it are people of wealth.

QUESTION: Do you have scriptural support to claim that pre-Lotus sūtras are like countries of destitution?

ANSWER: The “Assurance of Future Buddhahood” chapter of the Lotus Sūtra preaches, “It is like someone coming from a land of famine suddenly encountering the meal of a great king.”

Yakuō-bon Tokui-shō, The Essence of the “Medicine King Bodhisattva” Chapter, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 32